Litvinovsky donates 15 paintings to Sheba

15 large oil paintings by the well-known painter Pinchas Litvinovsky - one of the master painters in Israel - were donated by him to the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, for the purchase of modern operating tables for the operating rooms in the hospital's new building. This morning the painter gave the works to the members of the Tel Hashomer friendship circle. They will be put up for auction, which will be held in the coming days at the home of Dina and David Shoham, CEO of Klali Bank, in Herzliya Pituach.

The nominal value of this donation is about 125,000 dollars (about two million shekels).

The painter Pinchas Litvinovsky was an old friend of the late Prof. Haim Sheba, and at the time even painted his portrait (this painting now appears on the cover of the book "Sheba - A man and a Doctor" which was published a few months ago on the tenth anniversary of Prof. Sheba's passing).

The romance between the friendship circle of Tel Hashomer and the old painter was renewed about six months ago when the "the sailor of peace" Ebie Nathan donated to this circle a portrait of the late Yosef Shaprincek by Litvinovsky. The portrait was not signed by the painter. The coordinator of the circle Mrs. Ella Shachar turned to the painter and asked him to sign and he immediately responded and even added another contribution of his own: a large oil painting that was sold for half a million Israeli Pound about six months ago.

At that meeting, the artist announced that he intended to donate several works in memory of his friend Prof. Haim Sheba. This is what he did this morning when he handed over to Mrs. Shahar 15 works from different periods (including a painting of the late Hanna Rubina).

About a year ago, the operating rooms of the Sheba Medical Center were moved to the modern surgical wing in the new building that is under construction. However, the operating tables are outdated and it was decided to purchase new operating tables, the price of each of which is $16,000. The management of the medical center and the friendship circle intend to obtain in exchange for Litvinovski's paintings an amount that will allow the purchase of 15 operating tables.

The paintings will be displayed from next Monday in the "Sourasky" hall on the hospital grounds and the public can see them until the day when they will be put up for auction at the home of the Shoham couple.